The Legacy (47 page)

Tom watches Gladys as she downs the last of the
vodka, amazed that one woman can put away so much liquor.
Then again, that is how she earned the nickname 'Glad Gladys.'
She can down a fifth of booze within minutes, and if there is
more to be had, the grin never leaves her face.

He disappears for a moment and returns from the back
room with another bottle, and just like clockwork, the woman’s
face breaks into a wide grin.

“You’re right on the ball, Tom,” she says, immediately
opening the bottle.
“I aim to please.” He reaches across the table and pulls an
old flannel shirt from the back of one of the chairs. “I gotta go
help a man across the way fix a wire fence, so you’re on your
own for a little while.” He looks at her and grins. “I gotta earn
a little money to keep us swimming in drink.”
Gladys raises her glass. “I’ll drink to that.” Then they
both laugh.
Tom heads back to the bedroom to get his coat, casually
glancing back at Gladys. Her eyes are closed, but her hand is
still cradling the glass.
That’s a good sign.
Entering
the
bedroom,
he
turns
the
volume
on
the
television up slightly. Then he quickly squats down in front of
Phillip, catching the little boy off guard. He keeps his voice low
as he speaks.
“I want you to listen to me. Now I know you ain’t got no
reason to trust me, but you have to do exactly as I say. I’m
going out the front door in just a minute. You see that door
right there?” he asks him, pointing to the side door in the hall.
Phillip nods, warily.
“I’m gonna leave it open a little. While I’m going out the
front, I want you to slip out that door. My truck is parked out
back. Run to it, understand me?”
Phillip only hesitates a moment before nodding. Tom has
been nice to him so far, despite his rough appearance, and
Phillip sees no reason not to trust him, especially if it means
getting away from Gladys.
Tom grabs his coat and motions for Phillip to do exactly
as he'd told him. He walks into the hallway and opens the side
door slightly before heading to the front door.
“I’ll be back in a couple of hours,” he calls to Gladys. “I
guess I don’t have to tell you to make yourself at home.”
Gladys smiles, raising the glass to her discolored lips.
“That’s already been done.”
That’s what I’m counting on.
He glances at Phillip as the boy
quietly slips out the side door unnoticed. Tom casually opens
the front door and leaves. When he reaches his truck, Phillip is
already there, hiding on the outside of the driver’s side. Tom
opens the door.
“Get in,” he whispers, “and stay down until I tell you it’s
safe.”
Phillip immediately obeys. And it isn’t until they have
pulled onto the paved road and he is able to sit up on the seat
that he asks, “Where are we going?”
Tom glances over at him and gives him a half smile,
ruffling his hair. “We’re gonna get you home.”

Heaving a contented sigh, Sadie mentally goes over her
conversation with Cisely and Adagio. Her mind is still reeling
over the fact that she and Cisely are related. Even though it's
not a total blood relation, they are still family, and Phillip is her
cousin. This only intensifies her love for the little boy. Her
thoughts go to him again and she continues to pray for his
safety. It is about all she can do.

Peter enters and Sadie smiles, her heart lightening even
more. When he approaches and again takes her hand in his, she
ponders the emotions stirring inside her.

How can this be happening to me?
This is something she thought only happened in movies,
and she briefly wonders if it could be a Florence Nightingale
effect, or in this case, a 'Peter Nightingale' effect. How can she
actually be falling for her doctor? If she didn’t know any better,
she would swear this is a sign that she needs to get out more.
But then, what is Peter’s excuse? She is sure he sees female
patients every day, yet for some reason he seems to connect
with
her.
The
thought
makes
her
feel warm inside.
She
continues to smile, remembering his earlier visit.
When Peter had come back earlier in the afternoon to
visit Sadie, he told her more about himself and his life, and now
it's as if she has known him for years instead of just a day. She
had been relieved beyond words that he wasn’t attached to
anyone. Peter told her he is thirty-three years old and has been
a doctor for five years. After his father died, Peter convinced
his mother to move in with him so she wouldn’t be alone. His
parents had worked hard to help put him through medical
school and he
will always
be
grateful to
them for
their
sacrifices. He has two sisters. One is an attorney, the other a
model, and it isn’t hard for Sadie to imagine the good looks
running in the family. She can't help staring at him every time
he is near.
His straight blond hair is neatly cut and his chiseled face
is adorably-handsome. And every time his blue eyes looked into
hers, she has to fight to calm her racing heart.
“Are you okay?” Peter asks.
Sadie pulls her thoughts back to the present. Smiling
again, she squeezes his hand. “I’m actually doing okay now.”
Peter notices a sparkle in her brown eyes that wasn’t there
before and silently hopes he has something to do with it. He
marvels at the raw emotion she brings out in him. Smiling
inwardly,
he
remembers
their
conversation
earlier
and the
warmth that grew in his heart as they got to know each other
more. He'd learned more about her in that small amount of
time than he has about most of the friends he’s known for
years.
Sadie
told him about
her
life,
her
dreams
and the
aspirations she once had of being a youth counselor. But with
everything that has happened in her life recently, she now
thinks she is the last person that should be counseling teens.
Peter assured her nothing is further from the truth. He can see
her doing great things with her life.
When
Sadie
continues
to
smile,
Peter
asks,
“Did
something happen?”
“Yes, actually. Something truly amazing.” Sadie tells him
all about the phone call from Cisely and Adagio. When she is
done, he shakes his head in wonder.
“That really is amazing! To think something so tragic
could produce such wonderful blessings.”
“I know. I would never have imagined such a thing. And
that they actually want me to spend Thanksgiving with them
just leaves me in awe.”
“I’m very happy for you, Sadie. You deserve all the
happiness in the world.”
Noticing the subtle sadness in Peter's eyes, Sadie lifts her
hand to his face. “Peter, what is it?”
Peter closes his eyes at the gentle touch of her hand.
Placing his hand over hers, he holds it against his face. This
too, is inappropriate, but his heart is already too far across that
line to care anymore. “Please tell me I can still see you when
you come back.”
Sadie is touched by the emotion in his eyes. “I would like
that very much.”
More than you know.
He sighs, relieved. He continues to stare into her eyes, his
yearning to kiss her growing steadily with each passing second.
He caresses her smooth skin, brushing back the short hair
peeking from under the bandage on the sides of her head. He
remembers how her hair looked before the bandages. Sadie’s
hair is styled in a chic layered cut that flips at the ends, and it is
easy to see she is a woman who cares about her appearance.
Peter longs for the day that he can run his fingers through the
soft tresses.
A knock at the door startles them both. Peter reluctantly
moves
away
from Sadie,
the
disappointment
in
her
eyes
matching his. They both turn as Helen enters the room and
heave sighs of relief.
“Hi, Sadie. I just came by to make sure my son was
minding his manners.”
“Actually, Mom, I wasn’t.” He takes Sadie’s hand again.
“I suspected as much.” She smiles at Sadie. “But I must
admit, in this instance it’s okay. To me, anyway.”
“It’s okay with me, too,” Sadie says, gazing at Peter.
“So, I hear you’re getting out of this place tomorrow.”
“This is true.”
“Do you have any plans for Thanksgiving?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. I was invited to spend
Thanksgiving in North Carolina.” Sadie then repeats what she
told Peter, amazement filling her voice all over again.
“Well, that’s definitely one of the most incredible stories
I’ve ever heard.”
“It truly is. I’m looking forward to getting to know Cisely
and Adagio, and my half sister.”
“I’m really happy for you,” Helen says. “I had hoped to
invite you to spend Thanksgiving with us, but spending it with
family is more important, especially in this instance.”
“I would have really liked that,” Sadie says, meeting
Peter’s gaze. She is excited for the opportunity to get to know
her family, but she is also a little saddened that she won’t be
able to see Peter for a few days, and she again wonders how
this all happened and what she has done to be so lucky.
Peter’s eyes convey his feelings to her as well. He doesn’t
want to be away from her either. But his gaze also tells her
there will be plenty of opportunities to come for them to see
each other. He squeezes her hand.
“Well, my other patients are probably wondering where I
am. I guess I had better go and make my rounds. That’s what I
get paid for.”
Helen grins. “I’m glad you haven’t forgotten that, son.
And I guess I had better go and make sure things are getting
done in housekeeping.”
Sadie smiles at mother and son. “Thank you again, Helen,
for picking me up last night. Thank you for everything.”
“You’re very welcome. And thank you for giving my son
a reason to smile.”
Sadie's gaze returns to Peter as he raises her hand to his
lips, kissing it softly. “The feeling is definitely mutual.”

Gladys fights to keep her droopy eyes open as she
sloppily pours another glass of liquor. The clear liquid splashes
over the sides, leaving a puddle around the bottom of the glass.
Not wanting to waste a drop, she presses her mouth to the
table and slurps up the excess.

She has successfully found another place to hide, and for
the moment she is content. The booze that comes with the
place makes it even more appealing.

As
usual,
Gladys'
thoughts
turn
to
Cisely.
She
isn’t
finished making her niece pay, and the longer she is able to
keep Phillip away, the longer Cisely will suffer. However, it is
becoming harder to keep Phillip because of lack of money, and
Gladys now despises the boy even more because of it. Having
had to leave so quickly, she wasn’t able to get the couple of
pairs of clothing and underthings she’d conned Sadie into
purchasing for him.

Smiling, Gladys hazily remembers how she’d told Sadie
her daughter had dumped Phillip on her with no clothes or
anything. She recounts with pleasure how bad Sadie felt and
how she'd immediately gone out and bought him a few things.
Gladys despises her dead husband’s illegitimate child almost as
much as she does Cisely, and she was glad to hit her last night.
Sadie was just another person to use and abuse. Gladys thought
the con game would go on forever since Phillip had never
spoken to make Sadie believe anything other than what she'd
been told.

But it hadn’t. And the thought angers her.
Phillip started speaking. Now everything has changed.
“Hey, boy!” Gladys yells, her speech slurred. “Get in

here!” She intends to punish him for what he put her through.
She has never hit him before, but that is about to change. He
will pay just as Cisely is paying now, only his pain is about to
get physical.

When Phillip doesn’t appear, she yells again. “Boy, you
better get your behind in here!” After a moment, she hefts her
large body up and staggers to the back of the trailer. Looking
around the cluttered room, she curses loudly.

Now I know why Tom was so generous with his liquor.
Swearing again, she futilely tries to clear her head enough
to think. Wobbling back down the hall, she struggles to put on
her coat, then slowly moves to the front door. Staggering down
the rickety stairs, she grabs the railing, somehow managing to
keep herself from falling. Just as she makes it to the car, three
police cars appear in a cloud of dust and surround her. Gladys
squints her eyes against the sunlight as two of the officers get
out and slowly approach, their hands on their weapons.
“I guess this is it, then,” she says as one officer handcuffs
her while the other reads her rights. “Could one of you boys go
in and get my bottle for me?” she asks with a grin.
The officer shakes his head at her lack of remorse. “I’m
afraid not. By the look and smell of you, I’d say you’ve had too
much of the bottle already.”
Gladys laughs. “I can never have too much. Besides, you
boys look like you could use a good drink.”
“Let’s go, Ms. Baker.”
She is so intoxicated, it takes both the officer and his
partner to get her situated in the car, and they have to hold
their breath while doing it. The other officers shake their heads
as Gladys leans back in the seat and immediately passes out.